Wire or cable clamp



June 17, 1924. 1,497,941

. H. O. ROCKWELL WIRE OR CABLE CLAMP Filed April 5, 1922 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY Patented June 17, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT O. ROCKWELL, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO BRADY ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

WIRE OR CABLE CLAMP.

Application filed April 3, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT 0. R001:- WELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Britain, county of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire or Cable Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clamps for electric wires or cables and more particularly to a combination clamp adapted to be attached to the necks of glass or porcelain insulators.

One object of the invention is to provide a combination wire clamp and insulator clamp, the parts of which are connected together by a swivel joint.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination clamp of the above nature which may be very readily installed with a minimum amount of labor.

A further object is to provide a device of this nature having a wire clamp formed of a pair of detachable hinged jaws, one of said jaws being connected to the insulator clamp. V

A further object is to provide a device of this nature having an insulator clamp composed of a pair of identical sections of halfround stock joined together by a short cylindrical tube.

A further object is to provide a combination wire clamp and insulator clamp of strong and rigid construction, composed of only a few parts, and which will be simple,

cheap to manufacture, and highly eflicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing, one form in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the combination clamp showing an insula tor and wire in position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the side members of the insulator clamp, as it appears in one stage of its manufacture.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the side member shown in Fig. 2 as it appears in the next stage of its manufacture.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the side member shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in its final or completed state.

Serial No. 549,348.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the small cylindrical tube employed to hold the inner ends of the insulator-clamping members together.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the inner section of the wire clamp.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the outer section of the wire clamp-showing the hinge-tongue in its original fiat position before being bent into final shape.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the assembled wire clamp and insulator clamp, with parts broken away, shown detached from the wire and insulator.

In previous clamps employed for holding wires upon insulators, it was often diflicult for the linesman to assemble theparts owin to the large number of attaching bolts and screws to be handled. Moreover, such previous devices were apt to loosen and break under the severe stressesto which they were subjected in practice.

With the present invention, the above and other disadvantages have been largedly avoided.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, 10 represents an. insulated wire or cable connected by means of the combination clamp to the glass or porcelain insulator 11. The comination clamp herein illustrated comprises a wire-clamping member 12, and an insulator-clampingv member 13.

The wire-clamping member 12 comprises a pair of cooperating, substantially fiat, hinged members 14; and 15, preferably formed from pressed metal, said members having their edges rounded outwardly at 16, 16, and 17, 17, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, to avoid any possibility of injuring the insulation on the electrical conductors;

The inner wire-clamping jaw 14 is provided with a central aperture 18 for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described. The end portions 19 and 20 of the inner wire-clamping jaw 14 are reduced in width and are of rectangular shape, Fig. 6. The end portion 19 is provided with a narrow hinge-slot 21 rounded at. 22, 22. This slot 21 of the wire-clampin inner jaw 14 is adapted to cooperate with the tongue 23 of the outer wire jaw 15 to form a hingejoint.

Theaendportion 24 of the jaw is reducedin width and is shaped the same as the rectangular end of the inner jaw 14. Therectangular ends 20 and 24 of said jaws 14 and 15, are provided with alined openings 25 and 26 to receive a screw bolt 27 having a head 28, said bolt being threaded to receive a nut 29 as clearly shown in Fig. 8.

The insulator clamp-comprises a pair of opposedmembers 30, 31 constructed from halrround cotter-pin stock. These membersBO andj31, which are substantially Z- sha'ped', as shown in Fig. 4, are joined together at their ends by swaging, and form a head 32'loosely fittingwithin the opening 18 in the inner wire clamping jaw 14. These Figs; 2, 3, and 4.

. The members 30 and 31 of the insulator clamps should preferably be spaced apart sufii'ciently to surround the insulator 11, a'nd I are separated by a distance slightly less than I the diameter of the neck portion 40 of the insulator 11,]so that when assembling the device upon the insulator, the resiliency of the members 30 and 31 will cause them to first spread apart slightly, and then snap into position aro'undsaid neck portion. Y b

To' adjust the 'in'sulator-clamping members 30 and 31 to fit any particular size of -'insulator, a screw bolt 41 is provided, said screw bolt having a head 42 and a threaded portion 43, upon which a nut 44 is screwed. The wire clamp herein illustrated is especiallyfadapted for use upon du'ple-X wires and cables, but it will be understood that it 'is equally serviceable for conductors having any other-number of strands. Moreover, the insulator-clamp-adjusting bolt '41, while shown straight in the illustrated embodiment, may be made curved, if desired. to fit more closely about the neck of the insulator. r

Another important advantage of this invention is that the wire clamp may be sw'iveled' about the insulator clamp thereby a permitting the wire to be adjusted to any desired angle.

I, The insulator-clamping jaws'and their adjusting bolt and nut, and the small cylindrical tube as well as the wire-clamping jaws should preferably be made from iron or steel which may be later galvanized. The adjusting nut and bolt of the wire clamping jaws, however, are preferably made from brass or other similar material.

While there has been illustrated in this specification one form. in which the invention maybe embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short. the invention includes allthe modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described theinvention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is

1. In a combination wire clamp and insulator clamp, a pair of hinged wire-clamping jaws and a pair of insulator-clamping members connected thereto, said insulatorclamping members being formed from halfro'und stock and being connected together with their fiat faces in contact at their outer '3 ends, said insulator-clamping members being parallel to each other at their inner ends, said parallel members being adapted to clamp an insulator.

2. In a combination wire and insulator clamp, a pair of hinged wire-clamping jaws, and pair of insulator-clamping members swi'veled to said wire-clamping jaws, said insulator-clamping members comprising a pair of substantially Z-shaped rods of halfround section connected together at one end with their fiat faces in contact and spaced apart at their free ends to surround the neck of an insulator, said ins1'1lator-cla'mping members being adjustably connected at their free ends.

3. In a combination wire and insulator clamp, a pair of hinged wire-clamping jaws, and a pair of insulator-olamping members connected to said wire-clamping jaws, said insulator clamping members extendin" through-one of said wire-clamping aws, an having their ends 'swaged together to form an enlarged head whereby said insulatorclamping members will be. locked to said wire clamp, section, and an outer flat end section adjacent the an intermediate curved eyelet section, said eyelet section being twisted through ninety degrees relative to the remainder of said insulator clamping member.

6. In a combination wire and insulator clamp, an insulator clamp, and a pair of wire-clamping jaws swiveled thereto, said 1 w1re-clamping jaws being hinged together by a tongue and slot connection.

In a combination wire and insulator clamp, a pair of wire-clamping jaws. one of said jaws having an aperture formed therein a pair of spaced insulatorolamping members joined together by means of a short cylindrical tube, the ends of said members extending slightly beyond said tube and through said aperture, and being swaged around the edges of said aperture to form a swiveled joint.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature to this specification.

HERBERT O. ROCKWELL. 

